


Misdirection

by mahoney (mahoni)



Category: Starsky & Hutch (2004), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-03-07
Updated: 2004-03-07
Packaged: 2017-10-15 11:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/160573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahoni/pseuds/mahoney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Logan needs information; Hutch is inclined to take his time providing it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misdirection

“They’re headed someplace called White Shores, to a construction site there,” Logan said.

Scott’s voice was tinny and distant through the communicator in Logan’s ear. “Where’s that?”

“I have no fucking idea.” Logan stood in the middle of a junkyard which was most definitely not an under construction beach resort. “Use the damn coordinate finder on the goddamn jet.”

After a brief moment Scott came back. “Got it. It’s across town from you. We’ll pick you up –“

“Don’t bother. Just get to the beach and try to intercept.”

Logan ignored the sound of Scott grinding his teeth during the pause. “Copy.”

Glaring at the shadowy piles of trash again, Logan swung a kick at a warped oil drum, and left.

*

The cop was still standing against the light post, held up by the rebar twisted tightly around him. Orange light flickered dimly from the lamp above. As Logan gunned the motorcycle down the empty street, the cop raised his head. He watched impassively as the bike shrieked to a stop a few feet in front of him.

Even through the gray evening, the cop must have seen the fury, if not in Logan’s eyes then in the way Logan jerked the key out of the ignition and abruptly closed the short distance between them. If he did see, though, he didn’t seem concerned.

“Hey, it’s you again.” The cop winced and licked at his bloody split lip. “Did you catch your guys?”

Logan stopped, nearly toe to toe with the cop, and stared at him silently. The cop stared back. One blue eye was swelling shut; strands of his shaggy, pale hair stuck to the blood drying on his temple and cheekbone. Finally, patiently, the cop repeated,

“You know, your guys? The ones you were after? The blue gal and her really – _really_ – large friend?”

“You gave me bad directions, bub,” Logan growled.

“No, I gave you _wrong_ directions. That’s an important distinction.”

“Yeah well, you better hope we catch them.”

The cop sighed; his breath puffed white in the cooling air. “Or what? You’ll call the cops on me? You were about to run off and leave me hanging on light post in the middle of nowhere, bleeding to death. What did you want me to do, call you a cab?”

Logan stared again. At this point he wasn’t trying to intimidate. Logan knew Mystique, knew she’d have a man taken apart piece by piece to get the information she wanted, so he’d been surprised to come across her throttling this cop when she’d obviously barely gotten started on him. He wasn’t surprised anymore.

“Look, can you help me get down from here?” The cop tried to wiggle a bit, but the bar around his chest and upper arms left him almost no room. “Ow. It’s really uncomfortable, and I’m freezing my ass off –“

Logan raised his hand. His claws _snikt_ out, close to the cop’s face, and the cop jerked his head back.

“Whoa, hey, look at that. Um. Wow. Those must come in handy in the kitchen...where are you going?”

Logan moved around behind the lamp post, enjoying the nervous edge that crept into the cop’s voice.

“Ah, hello?” The cop strained to look over his shoulder. “You still there? Listen, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I think in California you can get the death penalty for killing a cop....”

Logan tuned him out and examined the rebar. The ends had been crushed into the body of the light post, but he could see two points where he could get a good slice in –

The cop stumbled forward as the rebar clanged to the ground. He nearly fell, caught himself, then staggered to the curb and lowered himself carefully down. He glanced up at Logan.

“Thanks. Seriously. I’d shake your hand but I can’t lift my arms.”

Logan kneeled. “Look, I don't think Mystique will go to White Shores. She had to leave you here alive, and you knew her plan. She’s too smart to risk it.”

The cop nodded. “Yeah, I figured her the same way.”

“But she wanted something from you. What was it?”

The cop hesitated, rubbing his arms with numb hands. Finally he said, “All right. It’s sort of a long story, but I’ll make you a deal. I’ll tell you what she wanted from me, and you tell me what’s going on.”

Now Logan hesitated. The cop pressed on.

“I need to know what’s going on, man. I know a lot of people – cops especially, I bet – treat you people like shit, and that wild goose chase I sent you on doesn’t give you a whole lot of reason to trust me. But I'm stuck in the middle of this. Plus, I'm a cop, I have to do that whole hero thing sometimes.”

Logan shook his head. “No, this isn’t something you can help with. You’ve seen what they can do.”

“Hey, we mere mortals can be pretty resourceful.” He grinned lopsidedly. “Look, all I’m asking is that you fill me in so I can do my job. And in return I’ll tell you what you want to know. And, you know, it can’t hurt you to have a friend on the police force.”

Before Logan could answer, Scott came through on the communicator. “Logan, the beach is a dead end. No one here.”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised,” he replied. “Hang on.”

He looked intently at the cop. “You have a deal. But trust me when I say that I really don't give a shit about the California death penalty. Don't cross me, or my friends.”

The cop grinned. “God, you’re a hard ass. Don't worry, I get the picture.” He held out a shaky hand. “Detective Ken Hutchison. You can call me Hutch.”

-f-

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a 15minuteficlets challenge; the word of the week made me think of the scene in _Shanghai Noon_ where Chon accuses Roy of giving him “bad directions,” to which Roy responds, “No, I gave you _wrong_ directions.” I pilfered those lines.


End file.
